My Favorite Movies #79 – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Netflix says…In this sequel to the smash hit Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry ignores warnings not to return to school — that is, if he values his life — to investigate with Ron and Hermione a mysterious series of attacks.

And now we return to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Obviously, this is several years before our previous entry, Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Oh, Dobby… I’m certain there are better ways to convince Harry not to return to Hogwarts.

And Harry is stupid to follow Dobby’s floating pudding into the living room.

Because now it looks like Harry dropped on that lady’s head on purpose.

I freakin’ love Molly Weasley. She would do anything to protect her family. She will kick butt and take names. But she’s also not afraid to turn that wrath on her kids whenever necessary. Most underrated side character in Harry Potter.

I like how, when everyone gets their Hogwarts letters, Molly talks about getting all their supplies in Diagon Alley, like it’s an instance of product placement.

“Only one place we’ll get all these things. Diagon Alley!”

It’s not a Wal-Mart commercial.

Why does Harry pronounce Diagon Alley as “diagonally”? He’s never heard it pronounced that way.

Yes, it’s supposed to be a play on words, just like Knockturn Alley is a play on “nocturnally”.

What page did Malfoy rip out of what book in the bookstore? Did that little act of vandalism ever have a resolution? Or is it just a plot thread that never got tied up?

So many bad choices in this movie. Now Ron and Harry decide to steal the flying car to get to Hogwarts.

Guys, when you can’t get through to Platform 9 3/4, you wait at the car for Ron’s parents to come looking for you. Then they’ll make sure you get to Hogwarts and you won’t break 83 wizarding laws.

I remember being incredibly sad when Richard Harris (the original Dumbledore) passed away after filming this movie.

Michael Gambon, who took over the role of Dumbledore in Prisoner of Azkaban is a fine actor, but he never had the look or really nailed the part like Harris did.

Gilderoy Lockhart is a despicable character, but he is perfectly portrayed by Kenneth Branagh.

The scene where Ron has to puke up a bunch of slugs must have been disgusting for Rupert Grint.

I don’t understand why they changed Hermione’s response to being called a mudblood for the movie. In the book, she’s unfamiliar with the derogatory term, but in the movie, she’s brought to tears by it.

I get that Moaning Myrtle had to be introduced because her story is important to the backstory involving the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened.

But she might be the most obnoxious character in Harry Potter.

I’m with Ron… Why did Hagrid send him and Harry into the Forbidden Forest to find Aragog?

What, exactly, did that accomplish, other than showing us, yet again, how dangerous the forest is for the young students of Hogwarts?

Aragog told them nothing that they didn’t already know, or at least suspect: Hagrid was innocent and spiders are afraid of the creature from the chamber.

But he didn’t tell them what the creature is!

I feel like I’m complaining a lot about this movie. Maybe I am…

It’s my least favorite of the books.

And if I’m honest with myself, Deathly Hallows Part 1 should probably switch places on my Top 100 list.

But this is how it is.

At the end, Hagrid gives us a quote that I hear in my head whenever the CBS Evening News goes to correspondent Errol Barnett.

Whenever that guy does a story, all I hear in my head is Hagrid saying, “Some ruddy bird named Errol.”

And then I laugh… ’cause Hagrid.

Okay, that does it for Harry Potter for a while on my list. Next week, come back for another classic that also finds itself on AFI’s top 100 list: Casablanca.